A recent study published in Current Biology suggests that dogs may associate the names of their favorite toys with specific objects based on brain activity, shedding light on how they process human speech. The research, led by scientists at Eotvos Lorand University in Hungary, utilized non-invasive brain imaging to observe the reactions of 18 dogs when hearing the names of familiar toys.
The study’s co-author, Lilla Magyari, explained the motivation behind the research, noting, “It is not so self-evident that dogs would know what a ‘ball’ is.” While some dogs, such as the famous border collies Chaser and Rico, have demonstrated exceptional abilities in retrieving toys by name, most dogs have struggled in lab tests designed to measure their understanding of words.
In the experiment, electrodes were attached to the dogs’ heads to record brain activity while their owners mentioned the names of familiar toys, followed by showing them either matching or mismatched objects. The results showed distinct brain patterns when the dogs were shown the correct object, indicating a level of semantic processing, or understanding of meaning, that mirrors similar tests used on humans.
Co-author Marianna Boros emphasized the significance of the findings, noting, “We found the effect in 14 dogs, which shows the effect that we see on a group level is not only driven by a few exceptional dogs.”
While some experts praised the study, others expressed skepticism. Clive Wynne, a canine behaviorist at Arizona State University, acknowledged the experimental design as “ingenious” but questioned whether the results conclusively proved semantic understanding, comparing the dogs’ responses to conditioned behaviors.
Despite differing opinions, the study adds to growing evidence that dogs may comprehend more of human speech than previously believed, suggesting that they could recognize object names even if they don’t always demonstrate it through behavior.